Dez Bryant signs long-term deal with Cowboys just before deadline

Dez Bryant and the Cowboys have reached agreement on a long-term deal (Brandon Wade, AP)

Jon MachotaDallas Morning News (TNS)

Cowboys, Bryant beat deadline

While discussing Dez Bryant's contract situation last month, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged that deadlines can make deals.

That proved to be the case on Wednesday as the Cowboys signed their All-Pro wide receiver to a long-term contract.

The deal is worth $70 million over five years, with $45 million guaranteed, according to Dallas Morning News sources. The team tweeted out a photo of Bryant signing the contract.

The signing bonus is worth $20 million, according to sources.

Bryant had said he was looking for long-term financial security for his family. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had said he was seeking long-term security with Bryant.

Both men got what they wanted as the franchise tag deadline approached its final hours.

"They have to do what they have to do, I have to do what I have to do," Bryant said in November. "And I'm pretty sure at the end of the day, we'll come to a nice agreement."

If Bryant hadn't reached a new deal by Wednesday, he would've been left to play the 2015 season under the franchise tag, paying him $12.8 million.

Bryant had been threatening to skip training camp and possibly even games if he didn't get a long-term deal.

Many found this difficult to believe because Bryant remained in contact with coaches and showed up multiple times to the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility during offseason workouts.

Bryant was also at AT&T Stadium last month for the Cowboys' last offseason practice, spending about 15 minutes on the sideline talking with Jones.

"I do have a good relationship with Dez. I know that he, like the Cowboys, want him to be a Cowboy all of his playing career," Jones said last month. "We value him. Other than Dez, nobody is prouder of his accomplishments. Nobody took more criticism than I did when we drafted him."

Bryant has emerged as one of the league's elite players, averaging more than 1,200 yards and 13 TDs over the last three years. He led the NFL in touchdown receptions last season with 16. He has 56 TD catches for his career. No player has more during that five-year stretch.

Although Bryant is the one walking away with a huge pay day, his Cowboys teammates should also benefit greatly from his presence at training camp. Bryant brings an energy to practice that is matched by no other member on the roster. Defending him should also go a long way in preparing defensive back Byron Jones, the team's first-round pick, for his first NFL season.

"Dez is a special guy," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said last month. "He's obviously a heck of a football player, very important to our football team. His approach is really well respected by anybody on our team, the guys he goes against. He's got a great passion for the game.

"Dez wants to be a great player, he wants our team to be great, so everything he does, he works through that prism. That's one of the things we love about him. It's why he's so respected by his teammates. It's why everybody loves having him on our football team."